Ihor Hladkovsky, the son of former First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleh Hladkovsky, intends to sue journalists of the Nashi Groshi project, who recently released an investigation into an alleged large-scale embezzlement of budget funds in the defense sector.
"This is the main reason why this investigation by Nashi Groshi emerged. To this end, they choose someone who has a strong working relationship with the head of state. And they put him under heavy fire of fake accusations. An idea is being imposed on people: 'the team is bad so the president is bad, too," he told in a a video clip purposefully edited to mock the Nashi Groshi investiogation format.
Hladkovsky warned he would soon disclose sources that provided journalists with what he says is inaccurate information. He said the authors had not worked on the sensational investigation for more than three years, as they claimed, but received the whole package of documents on the eve of elections.
"You have the right to and you will know who is behind this fake story and how much the executioners have earned," Hladkovsky said.
He referred to himself as an ordinary Ukrainian entrepreneur, not 'mazhor' [a spoiled kid raised by rich parents]. He said he had a car dealership business in Ukraine and a firm offering micro-loans.
"So as not to miss the target, my modest figure was also included in the pseudo-investigation," Hladkovsky said, adding that "we live in a legal state and can legally, as you say, mess you up in court for every unsubstantiated fact," Hladkovsky Jr. says.
The video viewed over 700,000 times faced a bulk of critical comments, including insults, obscenities, and threats.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian investigative journalists on February 25 released a report claiming that Ihor Hladkovsky, the son of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleh Hladkovsky, is involved in large-scale embezzlement scheme in the defense sector.
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It is alleged that Hladkovsky Jr. and his partners conspired with defense officials to procure military spare parts from Russian smugglers, as well as from Ukrainian Army warehouses. Prices for spare parts, which journalists say often failed to meet quality standards, were hiked significantly. Then, the journalists reported, the perpetrators would sell these goods to defense plants in conspiracy with top managers of Ukroboronprom, Ukraine's state-owned Defense Concern.
The group allegedly earned from Ukroboronprom at least UAH 250 million in kickbacks. Journalists claim Oleh Hladkovsky is Petro Poroshenko's ally set to informally "supervise" the country's defense industry.
On February 26, Poroshenko suspended Oleh Hladkovsky from office pending a criminal investigation.
On March 4, the president signed a decree to dismiss Hladkovsky from the post of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
